I spent a couple of weeks on the Amazon River this March with friends and family and had a blast as usual. It was my fourth trip to Brazil and each visit is always magical and always transformative. Check out a slide show of all the madness by clicking here.

To get you in the mood why not watch my animated Candiru song on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7yxhvTJbM4

It’s a lovely homage to the Amazon’s most feared fish! Animation was done by Aubrey Mintz for the Miami Science Museum’s Amazon Voyage exhibit.

Click on a t-shirt image to view it in the store.

Nascarp

A shirt for all the very finely cultivated folks that love fast cars, cold beer and America’s vastly underappreciated carp! Originally from Asia carp were introduced to North America by the US government as a food fish way back in the 1800s and they took off like wildfire from there. There’s hardly a midwest or southern river or lake without them now. Carp are perceived as “trash fish” by many an angler and that just ain’t right to do to any fish in my book, even if that original government program was seriously misguided. The good news is that recently the lowly carp has been enjoying a resurgence of appreciation by various angling groups.

Bling Cod

I’ve kicked this one around for eons as well. The only thing that’s held me back is wondering if enough Alaskans would know what bling actually means! That time has finally arrived so here it isÉ one of my favorite bottom fish, the fierce lookin’ jaguar of the deep, the mighty Lingcod ( Ophiodon elongatus .. which means long snake-tooth by the way) adorned with some sweet lookin’ bling in the manner of one of my favorite rappers, Flavor Flav!

Downward Facing Dog

I’ve tried doing yoga over the years and still mean to devote more time to it (honest I do!) and I’ve always enjoyed doing this most basic of poses. This is what I envision when the instructor has us do ‘Downward Facing Dog’, a dog salmon arching over the waves.

Also available in short sleeve women's Jewel neck.

Fish and Chips

Sometimes the most obvious puns are sitting right under your nose and it takes someone else to point them out. I’ve tinkered around with card playing fish images in the past ( Cardsharks!) as a sort of twisted homage to that lowbrow masterwork of kitsch ‘Dogs Playing Cards’, but hadn’t come up with a suitable follow up. And then Scott Dunn emailed me this idea. Fish and chipsÉ you knowÉ FISH AND CHIPSÉ get it? So I cranked this fishy image out. I worked a while on getting those expressions of shock juts right as all the aces hit the table at the same time.

Salmon the Fish That Dies for Love

I think it’s been 15 years or so now that my pal Bob Waldrop has been requesting this one. It’s his idea and it’s a great one. After all when you stop and think about it our salmon brothers and sisters do make one helluva’ long journey all in a one way quest for love. Love, death, romance and fishy metaphors all swirling together in one great mélange. Oh yes indeed it is my cup o’ tea!

Also available in short sleeve women's Jewel neck.

Surf Alaska

Believe it or not there’s quite a surf scene up here in Alaska with brave souls catching big cold waves in towns like Yakutat, Sitka, Cordova and beyond. My buddy, Surfin’ Joel Curtis, has regaled me with many a wild tale over the years and I knew I had to do some sort of homage to this northern sport. Joel posed as the model for this shirt. The halibut did not.